2 killed, houses and shops gutted by fire in Buthidaung

Posted on 15/12/2016

By The stateless Rohingya (TSR)

Buthidaung – At least eleven houses and nine groceries were gutted to ashes while two children were burned alive in a fire incident in Phone Nyo Lake, (Puimali) hamlet of Buthidaung, Rakhine (Arakan) State on Thursday, 15 December 2016 at around 3: 00am local time.

The fire broke out in Kabir Ahmed’s house and the fire instantly spread to whole house and engulfed the other ten adjoining houses and nine shops which were gutted, sources said.

Source added that two children of Kabir Ahmed reported to be with mental disabilities, were asleep when the fire broke out who were tragically killed in the blaze.

Kyat millions worth groceries were gutted to ashes in the shops and warehouses as well as cash money in the cash boxes.

All the eleven houses were burnt to ashes along with valuables worth millions of kyats in the destructive fire.

A teacher from the community said, “the Rohingya people were banned from getting out of houses from 7: 00 pm to 6: 00 am since the Myanmar government had imposed curfew on the Rohingya in Arakan State.

However, the Rakhine people have the freedom of movement even at deep night as the curfew was only imposed on Rakhine.

Since 10: 00 pm that night, two Rakhine young men were riding motorcycle from south side to north intentionally. The Rohingya residents suspected them to see their movement that they might have an ill intention indeed.”

In the same way of suspicion of Rohingya, the fire broke out in the house of Kabir Ahmed. When the house owner shouted for help, the villagers wanted to rush to the scene to douse out the fire but prevented by two security forces were on duty at the village. The fire could be extinguished at once if the neighbours were not prevented by the security forces”.

The two Rakhine young men are now believed to be the main suspects of the destructive fire, who were intentionally riding motorbike with the help of the security forces that night.